Week 14

Your Baby's Development

By this week, some fine hairs have developed on your baby's face. This soft colorless
hair is called lanugo, and it will eventually cover most of your baby's body until
it's shed just before delivery.

By now, your baby's genitals have fully developed,
though they may still be difficult to detect on an ultrasound. Your baby also starts
to produce thyroid hormones because the thyroid gland has matured.

Your baby now weighs about 1.6 ounces (45 grams) and is about 3.5 inches (9 cm)
long from crown to rump.

Your Body

Your health care provider may discuss amniocentesis with
you if you're older than 35 or if your screening tests indicated that there may
be a problem with the fetus. Amniocentesis is a test usually done between 15 and 18
weeks that can detect abnormalities in a fetus, such as Down
syndrome.

During this test, a very thin needle is inserted into the amniotic fluid surrounding
the baby to take a sample of the fluid for analysis. Amniocentesis does carry a very
slight risk of miscarriage, so talk to your health care provider about your concerns
and the risks and advantages of the test.